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Community forum is scheduled for Monday at Franklin Township school

FRANKLIN (Somerset) - Opposition is growing to a natural gas compressor station proposed to be built in the Trap Rock Quarry in the southeastern corner of the township near the South Brunswick border.

The Franklin Township Task Force on Compressor Station 206 is holding a public forum on the project from 7 to 10 p.m. Monday, Feb. 27, at Sampson G. Smith School, 1649 Amwell Road.

The governing bodies of Franklin, South Brunswick and Montgomery have passed resolutions opposing the project proposed by Williams/Transco to build the compressor station as part of the Northeast Supply Enhancement project designed to increase natural gas supplies to New York City and Long Island.

In addition to the compressor station, the project calls for 3.5 miles of new natural gas pipeline in Sayreville and Old Bridge and 22 miles of pipeline under Raritan Bay.

The construction of the 32,000-horsepower compressor on a 52.2-acre site in the quarry has drawn the most fire in Franklin and South Brunswick.

Compressor stations are, according to Williams/Transco, the "engines" that power the gas through a pipeline. Pipeline companies install compressor stations every 40 to 100 miles along a pipeline route.

Williams/Transco said it chose the "remote" location because it minimizes potential impacts to residential areas and environmental impacts.

But opponents of the compressor station are not convinced of the facility's safety because it is in the quarry where there is still active blasting.

"We have not been able to find any research on the impact of dynamite blasts in close proximity with compressors and could not find any details on this issue in Williams/Transco reports," said Kirk Frost, a member of the Franklin Township Task Force on Compressor Station 206.

Critics are also worried about the impact on residents in the area.

"We have many concerns, including the impact on the environment, health and the quality of life," said Linda Powell, another Task Force member.

One of the major worries is about the noise generated by the compressor's operations, including the sound from "blowdowns" that has been described as sounding like a passenger jet taking off. Opponents also say that blowdowns send methane into the atmosphere

Opponents also say the compressor station and the possibility of a pipeline accident will strain the resources of local emergency workers.

Monday's meeting will feature a report on the status of the project now being reviewed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) .For more information on the meeting contact stopftcompressor@yahoo.com.

Williams/Transco has estimated that if the project is approved by FERC, construction could begin in summer 2018 and be completed by the winter of 2019-2020.